Symptoms and causes

Symptoms

Primary progressive aphasia symptoms vary, depending on which portion of the brain's language area is involved. The condition has three types, which cause different symptoms.

Semantic variant primary progressive aphasia

Symptoms include these difficulties:

Comprehending spoken or written language, particularly single words

Comprehending word meanings

Naming objects

Lopogenic variant primary progressive aphasia

Symptoms include:

Having difficulty retrieving words

Frequently pausing in speech while searching for words

Having difficulty repeating phrases or sentences

Nonfluent-agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia

Symptoms include:

Having difficulty forming words

Being hesitant and halting in speech

Making errors in speech sounds

Having difficulty understanding sentences

Using grammar incorrectly

Causes

Primary progressive aphasia is caused by a shrinking (atrophy) of the frontal, temporal or parietal lobes in the brain, primarily on the left side. The condition affects the language centers in your brain.

Scar tissue and abnormal proteins also might be present, and brain activity might be reduced.

Risk factors

Having certain gene mutations. Rare gene mutations have been linked to the disorder. If several other members of your family have had primary progressive aphasia, you might be more likely to develop it.

Complications

People with primary progressive aphasia eventually lose the ability to speak and write, and to understand written and spoken language.

As the disease progresses, other mental skills, such as memory, can become impaired. Some people develop other neurological conditions. With these complications, the affected person eventually will need help with day-to-day care.

People with primary progressive aphasia can also develop behavioral or social problems as the disease progresses, such as anxiety or irritability. Other problems might include blunted emotions, poor judgment or inappropriate social behavior.

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